Rail fastening



L. D GREGG.

RAIL FKSIENING. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 192.1.

@- .fi 1,457. Patented July 4, 1922.

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P 1' l l I I v f I IINVENTOR Tia fi Loaisfl 67% BY WIW+W ATTORNEYS L. n.GREGG.

RAIL FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1921.

1,421,425? Patented y 4, 1922.

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m W w ang- UHHI [M M lk INVENTOR- 1 Louis D. Gregg I i' ATTORNEYS PATENTQFFICE.

LOUIS D. GREGG, OF'HACKENSAGK, NEW JERSEY.

RAIL FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1922.

Application filed October 20, 1921. Serial No; 509,039.

T 0 all whom it may 007106771.

Be it known that I, LOUIS D. Grimes, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hackensack, county of Bergen, State; ofv

New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement upon the structure set forth by theGreggP-atent No. 638,922. The object of the present invention is toproduce a rail-fastening which isapplicable at will for securing railswhose flanges are of varying vertical dimensions or'height-s tocross-ties of varying configurations.

Among the features constituting the in vention are: The longitudinalgroove in the cross-ties is of rounded or arcuate cross-section, insteadof straight-lined; the cross-tie has two holes for the two clips of eachfastener, instead of having only one hole and loeating the outer clip atthe very end of the cross-tie; the clip-members are of malleablematerial, such as machine-forged steel, instead of being castings asheretofore; the upper surface of the lower jaw of the clip is concavedand rounded, instead of being flat; the upper jaw of the clip extendssub-.

stantially-horizontally from the vertical portion thereof atsubstantially a right angle or less, instead of sloping upwardly; andthe inside-clearance of the vertical portion of the clip is increased toexceed the vertical distance between the lowerbearing-surface of the tieand the outer upper edge of the rail-flange. The invention likewisecomprises the various combinations of the above-mentioned features; andthe other features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The broad invention will be best understood by reference to apreferredconcrete embodiment of all the various features, thereof illustrated inthe accompanying,

Fig. 5 is a vertical section, similar to Fig. 2, but showing the end ofa modified form of rail; and

Fig; 6 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3, but showing a differentform of cross-tie and a rail like that of Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1-4, 10 represents a cross-tie whose centrallongitudinal portion is depressed in curved or arcuate form, as at 12,to produce on its upper surface a longitudinal groove. 13 is a holethrough said grooved portion for receiving one of the twofastening-clips; 14 is a larger opening nearer the end of the tie, forreceiving the complementary clip and for manipulat ing the nut of abolt; and 15 is the intermediate depressed portion of the tie. 16 is arail, resting in position on the tie and lying above said depressedportion 15, between said hole and opening, and having theusual'base-flanges 1717 with inclined upper surfaces. 18 and 18 are apair of identical but oppositely-disposed clip-members, each having acentral bolt-h0le. Preferably, the height of the inner face 19 of thevertical portion of each clip, its vertical inner-clearance, exceeds thevertical distance between the bottom bearing-surface of thetie-depression 15 and the upper and outer edge 20 of said flanges. Eachclip has. .a' substantially-horizontal upper jaw 21, which extends fromsaid vertical face 19 at approximately a right angle or preferably evenless. .Said vertical face 19 and the bottom face of said jaw 21 may besubstantially-plane surfaces; but each clip haslikewise a. lower jaw'22,which is arcuate (when viewed in a direction transverse to the rail, asin Fig. 3) to present a concaved upper surface.

- l/Vhen a-"rail as 16 is laidin place above tie-portion15,.intermediate hole 13 and opening 14, the pair of clips, 18 and 18,is applied to the rail-flanges and a bolt 23 inserted first throughinner clip 18 and then through outer clip 18, and if desired the head ofthe bolt may be turned to engage the wall of the groove to preventrotation; and then a nut 24 is screwed home upon said bolt to draw saidclips towards one another and clamp them upon the railflanges andtie-depression.

As stated, preferably the vertical extent of said; inner face 19, thevertical inside clearance of the clip, slightly exceeds the verticaldistance between the engaged surface of the tie-depression 15 and theupper outer edge of the superposed railflanges; so that, when the clipsand their bolt have been located in position and the nut screwed home onits bolt, the outer edge of each upper j aw will pass over said upperouter edge'ofthe adjacentrail-flange, and will engage the inclinedflange-surface along a line about midway of the flange. With arelatively thick flange, as 17 in Fig. 5,said engagement will be nearerthe outer edge. And with a relatively-thin flange, the engagement willbe nearer the rail; and, if necessary or desired, the upper clip-jawscanbe forced downward, as by hammering, either before or afterassembling, to insure proper engagement. In either event, thetightening-up of the nut, with or without the hammering, will produce awedging and clamping action to maintain anfirm engagement of the flangesand secure the rail in place; The fact that the'clipsare malleable istherefore of great advantage, in enabling the new fastener to be appliedto rails of the different types.

1.111 Fig. 5 is indicated a'rail 16 having relatively-thicker flanges 17with the usual inclined upper surfaces. With such rails, the upper jaws21 need notbe hammered down, but will engage said inclined surfacesnearer the outer edges thanwith the thinner rail-flanges shown in Fig.2; v

In Fig. 6 the central tie-depression 15, which constitutes thelongitudinal groove, is rounded upon a radius subtantially shorter thanthat of depression 15 in Fig. 3; so that the lower clip-jaws 22 engagealong the central portionof the under surface of said shorter-radiusdepression, as clearly indicated in Fig. 6; whereas a longer-radiusdepression is engaged along two separate lines or regions nearer theouter edges of the jaw, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The invention has thus been described with considerable detail, but onlyfor the sake of clearness; since it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement setforth, but may be embodied in various forms, and parts of the inventionmay be omitted, with out departing from the spirit of the broadinvention. 1 i

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed is: A

1. The combination of a cross-tie having a rounded longitudinaldepression, and having two holes, a rail in position upon said tie withitsflanges located between said holes, two complementary apertured clipsof malleable metal located one in each of said holes and each having twojaws and a vertical portion whose inside vertical-clearance exceeds 'thedistance between the bottom bearing surface of'said depression and theupper outer edge of said superposed flanges, each of said upper jawsextending from said vertical portion at not greaterthan a right angleand engaging upon the upper surface of its adjacent rail-flange, eachlower jaw having a concave upper face engaging the lower surface of saiddepression, a bolt passing through said apertures in said clips andhaving ahead engaging one clip, and a nut screwed on said bolt to clampsaid clips towards one another and uponthe flanges and tie respectively.

2. The combination of a cross-tie having a roundedlongitudinaldepression and a hole therethrough, a flanged rail in position upon saidtie between said hole and the end of said tie, two complementaryapertured clips of malleable metal, one of them located in said hole,said clips having two jaws and a vertical portion whose insideverticaLclearance exceeds the distance between the bottom}bearing-surface of said depression and the upper outer edge of thesuperposed railflanges, each of said upper jawsextending from saidvertical portion at not greater than a rightangle'and engagin upon theupper surface of its adjacent railange, each lower jaw having a concaveupper face engaging the lower surface. of said depression, a boltpassing through said clips and havin a head engaging one clip, and a nutscrewed on said bolt and engaging the other clip to draw said clipstowards one another and clamp the flanges upon the tie.

. 3. The combination of a cross-tie having a hole therethrough, aflanged rail in position upon said tie between said hole and the end ofsaid tie, two complementary apertured clips of malleable metal, one ofthem located in said hole, each of said clips having two jaws and avertical portion whose inside vertical-clearance exceeds the distancebetween the bottom bearing-surface of said tie and'the upper outer ed eof the superposed rail-flanges, each of said upper jaws extending fromsaidvertical portion at not greater than a right angle and engaging uponthe upper surface of its adjacent rail-flange, each lower jawengagingthe lower surface of said tie, a bolt passing through said clipsand having a head engaging one clip, and a nut screwed on said bolt andengaging the other clip to draw said clips towards one another and clampthe flanges upon the tie.

at. The combination of across-tie having two holes, a rail in positionupon said tie with its flanges located between said holes, twocomplementary apertured clips located one in each of said holes and each,having two jaws and a vertical portion whose inside vertical-clearanceexceeds the distance be tween the bottom bearing-surface of said tie andtheupperouter edge of said superposed flanges,each of said upper jaws extending from said vertical portion at not greater than a right angle andengaging upon the upper surface of its adjacent railfiange, each lowerjaw engaging the lower surface of said tie, a bolt passing through saidapertures in said clips and having a head engaging one clip, and a nutscrewed on said bolt to clamp said clips toward one another and upon theflanges and tie respectively.

5. A fastening-device for securing a flanged rail upon a cross-tie,comprising two similar but oppositely-disposed apertured clips ofmalleable material each having two jaws adapted to engage respectivelythe under surface of said tie and the inclined upper surface of theadjacent rail-flange, the inner face of the vertical portion of eachclip being of greater height than the distance between said bottombearing-surface of the tie and the outer upper edge of the rail-flanges,said upper jaw extending at less than a rightangle from said verticalinner face, a headed bolt passed through said apertures in said clips,and a nut screwed upon said bolt to draw said clips together undertension and clamp said flanges upon said ties.

LOUIS D. GREGG.

